


little by little does the trick

by crooked



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-29
Updated: 2010-08-29
Packaged: 2017-10-11 07:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/110135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crooked/pseuds/crooked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the little things that eventually clue Sirius in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	little by little does the trick

**Author's Note:**

> [original post](http://crooked.livejournal.com/241949.html) @ livejournal.

It's the little things that eventually clue Sirius in.

Like the look on Remus' face as he leans over Sirius, breathless from having run the distance to the spot where he'd fallen off his broom, eyes full of concern and worry. Sirius grins up at him, assures him it's merely a scratch, and gets to his feet. When it turns out to be a cracked rib, Remus chastises him for trying to stand on his broom in mid-flight but sits in the hospital wing with him all night.

Like the poorly-concealed grin accompanied by an exaggerated eye roll that Remus throws his way when Sirius arrives late for breakfast, reaching for the last apple muffin — which happens to be on Remus' plate.

Like the way Remus lingers at King's Cross in fifth year, biting his lip and glancing back at the spot where his father is waiting. Sirius sits on his trunk, kicking at an invisible pebble. He knows they've left him to find his own way home, and he'd been expecting it; the last letter home to his mother wasn't of the 'I miss you terribly, Mummy' variety that other students send. Remus eventually, reluctantly, leaves Sirius, but he writes to him almost daily that summer.

So during the summer after sixth year, when Remus tries every home remedy for a sunburn that he knows on him, Sirius recognizes it as another one of those little things. Remus mutters that his Aunt Mildred forced the same remedies on him when he was a pale nine-year-old visiting her in Eastbourne, all the while rubbing peppermint oil on Sirius' shoulders. James is lying facedown on the couch nearby, moaning into the cushions and wondering why Remus is giving Sirius all the attention when he's just as burnt. Remus scowls at James, tells him he's the one to blame for challenging Sirius to a 'who can run stark naked through the meadow behind the house the longest' contest anyway, and he turns his attention to Sirius again. Sirius just grins at James when he huffs and sulks upstairs to tend to his own sunburn.

Sirius flips over, hissing as his burnt back rubs against the fabric of the wingchair. Remus dabs more oil on his fingertips, his brows furrowed as he presses them to Sirius' cheeks. Sirius notices that his cheeks are pink too, despite his smartly slathering on suncream before stepping foot outside. He realises then that the towel that had been covering his naked body shifted — a lot — when he'd turned over. Their eyes meet as Remus reaches for the edge of the towel, his fingers brushing Sirius' thigh as he mutters _indecent_ under his breath and pulls the towel up.

He gets back to work, dabbing at the spots of sunburnt skin on Sirius' face. Sirius watches him carefully, studying the way Remus bites his lip as he touches him, the way his fingers tremble slightly. Remus mumbles something about even Sirius' mouth being burnt, and he starts to trace the outline of his lips with peppermint oil. Sirius holds his breath as Remus' thumb glides gently over his bottom lip, eyes flicking up to see a pair of brown eyes locked onto his.

He opens his mouth to say something — though he has no idea what — but it doesn't matter anyway; Remus leans into him, slotting their mouths together in a hesitant kiss. Sirius can tell Remus is unsure how he's going to react, and he's not even sure himself. He lays still for a moment, processing the fact that Remus Lupin is kissing him and has a hand curled around his wrist and _oh bloody fucking shit_ Remus Lupin is kissing him.

Sirius reaches up and grabs onto the back of Remus' neck, moaning softly as he pushes his tongue into his mouth. Their kiss is frantic, hints of the longing they've both repressed slipping in at the edges, soft whimpers breaking the silence of the Potters' living room. Sirius can barely breathe, but Remus' mouth is warm, soft, tasting of the peppermint oil he'd smeared on Sirius' lips, and he's not quite ready to pull away.

So, naturally, James chooses _that_ moment to come trampling down the stairs like a pack of rogue hippogriffs. Remus jerks away and Sirius adjusts the towel to make sure he's fully covered, heart racing and body flushed with a heat that has nothing to do with his sunburn. If he notices anything off about the pair of them, James doesn't let on. He just tosses Sirius some clothes, telling him to hurry up and get dressed before his mum comes home and gets an unfortunate eyeful, and then disappears into the kitchen.

Sirius breathes out a sigh and sits up, carefully holding onto his towel as he gets up to head into the bathroom. He looks back at Remus, who is sitting on the edge of the coffee table, as red as a ripe tomato. Remus looks up just before Sirius shuts the door behind him, and he flashes him a shy grin. Sirius returns it with one of his own; well, as close to a shy smile as Sirius Black can actually manage. He closes the door and then falls back against it with a soft thud, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. His entire world is still tilted on its side, so Sirius takes a moment to gain his composure then moves again.

He pulls on his clothes and looks at his reflection in the mirror, all pink skin across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Sirius touches his fingertips to his lips, smiling softly at the memory of how Remus' mouth felt pressed against them. His lips are still tingling, and he's not sure if it's Remus' kiss lingering there or the remnants of the peppermint oil. Later on, after Peter has arrived and once James and him are fast asleep, Sirius decides that he'll sneak into the guest bedroom and give Remus another go. Just to be sure neither of them were caught up in some moment that's never going to happen again.

Because he heads back into the living room, and Remus acts as if nothing has happened. He's sitting beside James on the couch, watching a repeat of some Muggle sporting thing that Sirius has no interest in — grasshopper or cricket or some such insect. Sirius crosses the room and sits on the other side of James, all without a single look from Remus. He frowns and bites the inside of his cheek, picking up the glass of lemonade that someone's set there for him.

Just when he's resolved himself that the snog was a fluke, Remus pushes a plate his way and still refuses to look at him. Sirius smiles, though, because there's just the one apricot biscuit left and Remus was clearly saving it for him. It's another one of those little things; the little things that have, over the years, added up to become one _huge_ thing.

_Thanks, Moony_, Sirius says. Remus doesn't reply with words, but he glances sidelong at Sirius and grins at him. An oblivious James mutters something about them both acting so bloody queer, and Sirius nearly chokes. The poor bastard really has no idea.


End file.
